Extraction of bank routing number from information entered by a user

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides various features for extracting a user&#39;s bank account information for use in facilitating the electronic transfer of funds to or from the user&#39;s bank account. One feature of the invention involves a method and system for extracting a bank routing number from character strings provided by a user from the face of a bank check. The method involves receiving from the user a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) line. A contiguous string of characters within the MICR line that satisfies a checksum test is stored as the bank routing number for the user. A check number and an account number may also be received from the user. A test is performed to verify that the check number, the account number, and the bank routing number all coexist within the MICR line. Another feature of the invention involves a method and system for facilitating the transfer of funds between a buyer and a seller. A bank routing number is determined for the seller as noted above. A credit card account associated with the buyer is then charged to collect funds for purchasing one or more items from the seller, and at least a portion of the collected funds is deposited into the bank account of the seller using the extracted bank routing number.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.09/517,563, filed Mar. 2, 2000, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference, and further claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/156,231, filed Sep. 27, 1999, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of electroniccommerce. More specifically, the invention relates to techniques forfacilitating the transfer of electronic funds.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In the field of electronic commerce it is common for onlinemerchants to sell products advertised on web sites. Such merchantsgenerally require payment from a buyer in the form of a bank credit cardcharge. Thus, to complete an online transaction the buyer normally needsto enter information (i.e., a card-holder name, a credit card number,and an expiration date) associated with a bank credit card. Thisapproach requires the online merchant to have the capacity to processcredit card payments.

[0004] It is now common for relatively unsophisticated sellers to marketproducts online. Many such sellers lack the ability to receive creditcard orders. Instead, they depend primarily upon the traditional paymentmeans of personal checks and money orders.

[0005] One approach for unsophisticated sellers that is becomingincreasingly popular is to advertise and sell their wares on asophisticated commercial web site that provides a forum for third partysellers. For example, Amazon.com, Inc., the assignee of the presentapplication, hosts two such forums: “Amazon.com Auctions,” in whichthird party sellers auction off products to buyers, and “zShops,” inwhich third party sellers advertise fixed-price products to buyers. Suchthird party transactions generally proceed as follows. A seller posts tothe host web site information regarding a product it wishes to sell. Abuyer with an interest in the product submits a purchase offer to thehost web site. If there is mutual interest in the transaction, the hostweb site informs each party of the deal. The buyer and seller thenarrange on their own how the buyer will pay the purchase price and howthe seller will provide the product.

[0006] Since the parties must deal with one another in arranging paymentand delivery, there immediately arises the problem of trust. Whereas thehost web site may be a large well known entity with a reputation toprotect, the individual buyers and sellers in these third partytransactions are generally unknown to the other party. The buyer willnot feel confident about the transaction until he or she receives theproduct and can inspect it for comparison with expectations. The sellerwill not feel confident about the transaction until he or she receivesthe proper payment and, if necessary, converts it into a cash-equivalentform. Typically this means the seller must wait for several days, atleast, until a money order, cashier's check, or cleared personal checkis in hand.

[0007] Furthermore, the seller has no way of knowing whether the buyeris ever going to pay. The buyer may have a change of heart, never to beheard from again. During the week or ten days (or more) that it takesthe seller to realize that the buyer has backed out, the seller may missopportunities to sell the product to other buyers.

[0008] Also, payment via a personal check through the mail generallyrequires a seller to identify his or her name to the buyer. This may beunacceptable to sellers who prefer to remain anonymous to the buyingpublic. Payment to a seller via a credit card requires a buyer toidentify his credit card information to the seller. This may beunacceptable to buyers who prefer to limit the exposure of their creditcard numbers to trusted commercial entities.

[0009] The present invention seeks to overcome these and other problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention provides various methods for extracting auser's bank account information for use in facilitating the electronictransfer of funds to or from the user's bank account. The methods may beused, for example, as an alternative to requiring users to send a voidedcheck to the entity initiating the transfer. The methods may be embodiedwithin a web site, an online services network, a telephone-based voiceprompting system, or another type of interactive system that can beaccessed by remote users. The invention also provides various associatedmethods for facilitating transfers of funds between a buyer and a sellerin an online system for users to sell items to other users.

[0011] One feature of the invention involves a method and system forextracting a bank routing number from character strings entered by auser from the face of a bank check. In a preferred embodiment, themethod involves receiving from the user the character string of amagnetic ink character recognition (MICR) line. The user may optionallybe prompted to provide the MICR line with the assistance of ageneralized image of a check indicating the location of the MICR line onthe face of the check. A checksum test is then applied to a contiguousstring of characters within the MICR line. A contiguous string thatsatisfies the checksum test is identified and stored as the bank routingnumber for the user.

[0012] The user may also be prompted to enter a check number and anaccount number from the check, which may likewise be obtained with theassistance of a generalized image of a check indicating the locations ofsuch numbers. In this case, a test is preferably performed to verifythat the check number, the account number, and the bank routing numberall coexist within the MICR line. If coexistence is verified, theaccount number and bank routing number are stored for later use infacilitating payments to the user. The user may also optionally beprompted to specify the name of his or her bank, and the specified bankname may be used to verify or to disambiguate the results of the routingnumber extraction process.

[0013] Another feature of the invention involves a method and system forfacilitating the transfer of funds between a buyer and a seller in anonline auction system, an online flea market system, or another type ofsystem in which user can sell items to other users. In a preferredembodiment, the seller is prompted to enter information from the face ofa bank check issued from the seller's bank account. This information isused to determine a bank routing number and account number for theseller. A credit card account associated with the buyer is then chargedto collect funds for purchasing one or more items from the seller, andat least a portion of the collected funds is deposited electronicallyinto the seller's bank account using the bank routing number and accountnumber. In one embodiment, an indication is displayed in associationwith the seller's product offering(s) informing buyers that the selleris enabled to accept payment electronically. Preferably, buyers aregiven the option to immediately purchase items from such sellers using adefault credit card number and shipping address previously specified bythe buyer.

[0014] For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects,advantages and novel features of the invention have been describedherein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantagesmay be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of theinvention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in amanner that provides some of the disclosed advantages but not others.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0015] These and other features and advantages of the invention will nowbe described with reference to the drawings of certain preferredembodiments, which are intended to illustrate and not to limit theinvention, and in which:

[0016]FIG. 1 illustrates a system in which buyers and sellers access website information via the Internet, and illustrates the basic web sitecomponents used to implement a method of extracting check bank numbersthat operates in accordance with the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 2 illustrates the process used to extract bank routing andaccount numbers for the bank account of a seller.

[0018]FIG. 3 illustrates the first of two sample pages used to receivecheck information from a seller.

[0019]FIG. 4 illustrates the second of two sample pages used to receivecheck information from a seller.

[0020]FIG. 5 illustrates the process used to determine a set ofcandidate routing numbers for use in the process of FIG. 2.

[0021]FIG. 6 illustrates the process used to test for coexistencebetween routing, check, and account numbers for use in the process ofFIG. 2.

[0022]FIG. 7 illustrates the first of two sample error message pagesinforming the seller that the entered account number is incompatiblewith the entered MICR line.

[0023]FIG. 8 illustrates the second of two sample error message pagesinforming the seller that the entered account number is incompatiblewith the entered MICR line.

[0024]FIG. 9 illustrates a sample error message page requesting that theseller contact the web site operator for assistance.

[0025]FIG. 10 illustrates a sample purchase page of the host web site.The described product is associated with a third party seller.

[0026]FIG. 11 illustrates a sample product listing page displayed when aprospective buyer browses the host web site for products offered forsale by third party sellers. Each product listed on the listing page hasan associated purchase page like the one illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0027]FIG. 12 illustrates a sample order confirmation page displayedwhen a prospective buyer selects a purchase option on the purchase pageshown in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0028] The present invention provides various methods for determiningthe routing and transit number (“routing number”) for a user's bank, andthe user's checking account number at that bank, using information readfrom a check and entered by the user. The methods may be implementedwithin an interactive computer system that provides a service for usersto transfer funds to other users. Examples of such systems are describedin U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/312,028 and 09/312,309 bothfiled on May 14, 1999, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporatedby reference. The transfers may be in support of online purchasers, debtsettlements, commissions, gifts, charitable donations, bill payments,etc. In a preferred embodiment, the methods are implemented by an onlinemerchant or other business entity that provides an online forum forusers to sell items to other users, such as through online auctions orfixed price sales.

[0029] Preferred embodiments and implementations of the invention willnow be described with reference to the drawings. The description willreference various details of the invention in the context ofAmazon.com's web site. These details are set forth in order toillustrate and not to limit the invention. For example, although theprocess for determining the bank routing number is described in thecontext of a system in which users enter text strings into a computer,the same process can be implemented using a telephone-based voiceprompting system in which users enter data on a telephone keypad orthrough voice commands. Accordingly, the scope of the invention isdefined only by the appended claims.

[0030] Throughout the description, it may be assumed that actionsdescribed as being performed by Amazon.com, or by the web site operator,are performed automatically by executable components of the web sitesystem.

[0031]FIG. 1 illustrates a host web site system 140 (“web site”)including components used to implement routing number extractionaccording to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the host website 140 includes a web server application 150 (“web server”) thatprocesses user requests received from user computers 110 and 120 via anetwork 130, such as the Internet. The host web site 140 includes adatabase 152 of HTML (hypertext markup language) content that includesamong other things, product information pages that show and describeproducts associated with the host web site 140.

[0032] The host web site 140 includes a catalog server 160 that providesa forum for third party sellers to advertise and sell products. Thecatalog server 160 includes a transaction facility 162 that receivespurchase requests from buyers, and a catalog database 164 containinginformation about the third party sellers and their associated products.The sales handled by the catalog server 160 may be via auctions, viafixed-price marketplaces (i.e., online “flea markets”), or via any othermethod using third party sellers.

[0033] The host web site 140 further includes a secure sockets layer(SSL) server 170 designed to be secure from outside influences. The SSLserver 170 includes a check information extraction tool 180 (discussedin detail below) that determines bank routing numbers for third partysellers selling products on the host web site 140. The check informationextraction tool 180 communicates with a user bank account database 184that contains the bank routing and account numbers for third partysellers selling products on the host web site 140. The check informationextraction tool 180 optionally also communicates with a bank routingnumber database 182 that stores bank routing numbers. The bank routingnumber database 182 may be a local database, or may be a remote databasethat is accessed over a secure connection.

[0034] The SSL server 170 further includes an electronic fund transferapplication 190 that electronically transfers funds into the bankaccounts of sellers following completed transactions identified by thetransaction facility 162.

[0035] The web server 150, catalog server 160 and SSL server 170 anddatabase software preferably run on one or more UNIX-based servers andworkstations (not shown) of the web site 140, although other platformscould be used. To accommodate a large number of users, the servers anddatabases may be replicated across multiple machines.

[0036] Consider a seller accessing the host web site 140 with a webbrowser 122, such as Netscape Communicator, loaded on a remote computer120 connected to the network 130. Further consider that the seller wantsto advertise and sell one or more products or other items on the hostweb site 140. The seller first registers with the host web site 140 as athird party seller. As part of this process, the seller has the optionto register online to use Amazon.com Payments™, which is a serviceprovided by the web site operator for collecting payment from buyers andelectronically depositing the resulting funds into the seller's bankchecking account. As part of the Amazon.com Payments registrationprocess, the web site 140 determines the seller's bank checking accountinformation, including the bank's routing number, used for electronicfunds transfers. A preferred process for determining such information isdescribed below.

[0037] Following registration, the seller can post to the web site 140information about items that are for sale. In the Amazon.comimplementation, the seller can select between an Auctions option and azShops (fixed price) option when posting an item for sale. If the userhas registered to use Amazon.com Payments, the posted items arepreferably displayed on the web site together with a “1-Click Ready”slogan or an associated icon to indicate to buyers that the selleraccepts Amazon.com Payments, and that such payments can optionally bemade using the site's 1-Click™ service (see FIGS. 10 and 12). Apreferred embodiment of the 1-Click service is set forth in U.S. Pat.No. 5,960,411, which is hereby incorporated by reference. For sellersthat are not registered with the Amazon.com Payments service, the buyerand seller must normally contact each other to arrange for payment. Forpurposes of the remaining description, it may be assumed that the sellerhas registered to use Amazon.com Payments.

[0038] Next consider a buyer accessing the host web site 140 with a webbrowser 112 loaded on a remote computer 110 connected to the network130. Further consider that the buyer browses a third party vendor forum(e.g., Auctions or zShops) of the host web site 140, reads about aproduct offered for sale by the seller, and decides to purchase orsubmit a bid for the product. Once the buyer selects the item forpurchase or wins an auction for the item, the transaction facility 162obtains the buyer's credit card and shipping information. If the buyerhas set up and enabled 1-Click settings, the credit card and shippinginformation are extracted automatically from such settings; otherwise,the buyer is preferably prompted to specify the information. Thetransaction facility 162 then charges the buyer's credit card andcalculates a commission to be retained by the web site operator. Inaddition, the transaction facility 162 forwards the transactioninformation to the electronic fund transfer application 190, whichdeposits the purchase price amount (minus the commission) into theseller's bank checking account. Finally, the transaction facility 162instructs the seller by email to ship the product to the buyer.

[0039] A process for determining a bank routing number from the numbersinscribed on a bank check will now be described with the help of FIG. 2.In a starting state 200, the host web site 140 receives a request from auser to register to use Amazon.com Payments. Proceeding to states 210,212, and 214, the host web site 140 receives from the seller a magneticink character recognition (MICR) line, a bank check number, and a bankaccount number, respectively. All three numbers are identifiable on theface of a bank check. The MICR line is over twenty characters long,contains special symbols in addition to digits and is typically foundalong the bottom border of bank checks. The check number is typicallyabout three to five digits long and is found in the upper right handcorner of a bank check and also in the MICR line. The bank accountnumber is typically about eight to ten digits long and is found withinthe digits of the MICR line. The number entering states 210, 212, and214 may occur in any order. Furthermore, in one embodiment, one or bothof the check and account numbers is not received until after thedetermination of candidate routing numbers (state 220, discussed below).

[0040]FIG. 3 illustrates a first number entry page 300 that facilitatesreceiving a MICR line and bank account number from a user. The web page300 includes a check number field 310 for entering a bank check numberand a MICR line field 320 for entering a bank MICR line. In a preferredembodiment, the user is assisted in identifying these numbers withdescriptions and pictures 330, including a generalized image of a check.The web page 300 further includes a first Next button 340. Selection ofthe first Next button 340 transmits the check number and MICR lineentered in the respective fields 310, 320 to the host web site 140 andloads a second number entry page 400 for the user.

[0041]FIG. 4 illustrates the second number entry page 400, including amessage requesting that the user enter an account number 415, and afield 420 for entering a bank account number. In a preferred embodiment,the user is assisted in identifying the account number with descriptionsand pictures 430. In one embodiment, the user is provided with the nameof a banking institution determined from the information entered on thefirst number entry page 300. The second number entry page 400 furtherincludes a second Next button 440. Selection of the second Next button440 transmits the account number entered in the account number field 420to the host web site 140 and loads a new web page for the user.

[0042] Although FIGS. 3 and 4 depict a method of receiving the MICRline, check number, and account number through a web page, any methodmay be used. For example, the user may provide the numbers using atelephone either by speaking the numbers or by entering the numbers onthe telephone number pad.

[0043] Referring back to FIG. 2, upon receiving the MICR line, checknumber and account number, the host web site 140 proceeds to state 220,where a set of candidate bank routing numbers is determined. Bankinginstitutions identify themselves within the banking community throughnine-digit routing numbers. Each routing number uniquely identifies aparticular banking entity. A bank check includes within its MICR linethe routing number corresponding to the bank that issued the check.Other banks, upon receipt of a bank check, identify the bank that issuedthe check by determining the routing number within the MICR line. Forefficiency reasons, the MICR line on a check is encoded with magneticink that facilitates machine reading of the digits. Banks usuallyextract the MICR line information in this manner.

[0044] Several factors complicate the identification of the bank routingnumber from within the MICR line. First, the MICR line includes anaccount number and a check number in addition to the routing number.Second, banks are not consistent in the order with which they presentthese three numbers. Third, some banks include other digits in the MICRline in addition to the three numbers discussed above.

[0045] The reliability of reading MICR lines is improved by using a“checksum test.” A checksum test, generally, is a technique forverifying the validity of a string of digits through the use of apredetermined algorithm. Such a test is commonly done when communicatingdigit strings in order to catch errors that may be introduced duringinput, output, or transmission of the data. In a checksum test, thesender selects the digit string so that the predetermined algorithmgenerates an expected result when applied to the individual digits ofthe string. The algorithm, for example, could add the first digit totwice the second digit, subtract three times the third digit, and so on.The expected result, for example, could be that the algorithm output isdivisible by ten. A receiver, upon receiving the data, may then verifythat the predetermined algorithm generates the expected result whenapplied to the received digit string. If the algorithm creates anunexpected result, the receiver knows that the data string containserrors.

[0046] Each bank routing number is created to satisfy such a checksumtest. The predetermined algorithm used for this purpose is well knownand publicly available. When machine reading a MICR line, a bank runs achecksum test on the routing number using this algorithm.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 2, the set of candidate routing numbers instate 220 may be determined in several ways. One preferred embodimentfor determining this set is illustrated in FIG. 5. From a starting state510, the program 180 proceeds to state 520, where the first digit of theMICR line is defined as the starting digit of a nine-digit checksumtest. Proceeding to state 530, the nine-digit checksum test is performedon the nine contiguous digits of the MICR line starting with the firstdigit. Proceeding to state 540, execution is redirected depending uponthe result of the checksum test. If the nine-digit string failed thechecksum test (i.e., the checksum digits did not correspond to themessage digits), the information is discarded in state 536. The programthen proceeds to state 540, where the starting digit shifts one digit tothe right (i.e., from the first digit to the second digit of the MICRline). The program then returns to state 520 to complete anothernine-digit checksum test with the newly defined starting digit.

[0048] If, on the other hand, the checksum test was satisfied in state535, the MICR line is stored in state 538 together with an indicationthat the checksum test was satisfied for that particular nine-digitstring. The program then proceeds to state 540. When shifting thestarting digit one to the right in state 540 leaves only an eight-digitstring available for examination (i.e., the right end of the nine-digit“window” has shifted past the right end of the MICR line), the programproceeds to ending state 550.

[0049] Table I illustrates a full series of nine-digit checksum testsapplied to a twenty-two digit MICR line. The process of FIG. 5 wasrepeated fourteen times—once for each nine-digit contiguous stringwithin the MICR line. Inspection of Table I reveals that three of thefourteen nine-digit strings passed the checksum test, providing threecandidate routing numbers for the banking institution that issued thecheck associated with this MICR line. TABLE I Candidate AssessedNine-Digit String Pass Routing (Bracketed) Checksum? Number [314159265]3589793238462 No — 3 [141592653] 589793238462 No — 31 [415926535]89793238462 No — 314 [159265358] 9793238462 Yes 159265358 3141[592653589] 793238462 No — 31415 [926535897] 93238462 No — 314159[265358979] 3238462 No — 3141592 [653589793] 238462 No — 31415926[535897932] 38462 No — 314159265 [358979323] 8462 No — 3141592653[589793238] 462 Yes 589793238 31415926535 [897932384] 62 No —314159265358 [979323846] 2 Yes 979323846 3141592653589 [793238462] No —

[0050] As suggested by Table I, the vast majority of nine-digit stringsgenerally fail the checksum test. Ideally, state 220 will find a singlestring that passes the checksum test—the one corresponding to the actualbank routing number. However, if the user entered the MICR lineincorrectly in state 210, no valid strings may be found. Conversely,through a fortuitous combination of digits, two or more strings may befound to pass the checksum test within a given MICR line. This is thesituation presented in Table I.

[0051] In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 4, if the process of FIG.5 generates a single candidate routing number, the name of the bankinginstitution 410 associated with that routing number is displayed to theuser for verification. The bank name is determined from the routingnumber database 182.

[0052] The candidate routing numbers generated from the process of FIG.5 may optionally be further filtered by comparison with the routingnumber database 182, which includes routing information on bankinginstitutions. If the candidate routing number does not exist in therouting number database 182 it is eliminated as a candidate. Thisfiltering may occur either within or subsequent to the processillustrated in FIG. 5.

[0053] Referring back to the process of FIG. 2, after the attempt instate 220 to determine a set of candidate routing numbers, the programis redirected by state 225 depending upon the results of the checksumtest. If there are no candidate routing numbers, the program isredirected to a first “retry” state 226. In the first retry state 226, adecision is made whether or not the user should try to reenter one ormore of the three numbers received in states 210, 212, and 214. If it isdecided that the user should try again, an appropriate message is sentto the user prompting him to reenter information and the process beginsanew at state 410. In one embodiment, the decision whether or not to tryagain depends upon whether the lack of candidate routing numbers instate 220 came after a first attempt to enter information in states 210,212, and 214, or after a second or third attempt. In another embodiment,the decision whether or not to try again is left up to the user, who isprompted to indicate one choice or the other.

[0054] If it is decided in the first retry state 226 that the usershould not try again, the user is prompted to use other means, forexample a person-to-person telephone call, to transmit the bank accountinformation. If at least one candidate string was found in state 220,state 225 directs the program to state 230.

[0055] In state 230, a first candidate routing number is selected.Proceeding to state 240, the first candidate routing number is tested tosee whether the candidate, the check number entered in state 212 and theaccount number entered in state 214 can all coexist within the MICR lineentered in state 210. A process for testing for this coexistence isillustrated in FIG. 6.

[0056] Beginning in a starting state 610, the program proceeds to afirst marking state 620, where the MICR line is “marked” with thecandidate routing number. The act of “marking” the MICR line refers toblocking out the relevant digits of the MICR line associated with themarked number. Table II illustrates the MICR line from Table I markedwith the three candidate routing numbers. The “R's” represent marked outdigits within a candidate routing number. TABLE II Full MICR LinesMarked with Routing Numbers 314 [159265358] 9793238462314RRRRRRRRR9793238462 3141592653 [589793238] 462 3141592653RRRRRRRRR462314159265358 [979323846] 2 314159265358RRRRRRRRR2

[0057] Proceeding to state 630, the marked MICR line resulting fromstate 620 is examined to see whether the account number entered in state214 (i.e., the appropriate string of contiguous digits) is present.Proceeding to state 640, the program is redirected depending upon theresults of the search in state 630. If the account number was not foundin state 630, the program is redirected to ending state 690. Thisredirection indicates that the associated candidate routing number is nolonger a candidate. Ending state 690 returns the program to state 242,where it is determined whether there are any candidate routing numbersremaining. If candidate routing numbers remain, the program is returnedto state 230, where the process is repeated with a new candidate.

[0058] If the account number was found in state 630, the programproceeds to a second marking state 650, where the MICR line is markedwith the account number identified in state 630. Consider, for example,the three marked MICR lines depicted in Table II. Consider further thatthe account number entered in state 214 was “3141592653.” After passingthrough states 610-650, the first candidate routing number will berejected as a candidate in state 640 (the ten-digit account number isnot found within the singly-marked MICR line). The latter twocandidates, on the other hand, will survive to become “doubly” marked.These results are illustrated in Table III. The “A's” represent markedout digits associated with the account number entered in state 214.TABLE III Singly-marked MICR Lines MICR Testing - Account Number314RRRRRRRRR9793238462 Test failed 3141592653RRRRRRRRR462AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR462 314159265358RRRRRRRRR2 AAAAAAAAAA58RRRRRRRRR2

[0059] Proceeding to state 660, the doubly-marked MICR line resultingfrom state 650 is examined to see whether the check number entered instate 212 (i.e., the appropriate string of contiguous digits) ispresent. Proceeding to state 670, the program is redirected dependingupon the results of the search in state 660. If the check number was notfound in state 660, the program is redirected to ending state 690. Thisredirection indicates that the associated candidate routing number is nolonger a candidate. As noted above, ending state 690 returns the programto state 242, where it is determined whether there are any candidaterouting numbers remaining.

[0060] If the check number was found in state 660, the program proceedsto a storing state 670, where the MICR line is stored together with theassociated candidate routing number, account number identified in state630, and check number identified in state 660. Consider, for example,the two doubly-marked MICR lines depicted in Table III. Consider furtherthat the check number entered in state 212 was “462.” After passingthrough states 660-690, the first surviving candidate routing numberwill be stored in state 680, together with the account number and checknumber. The second candidate, on the other hand, will be rejected instate 670 (the three-digit check number is not found within thedoubly-marked MICR line). These results are illustrated in Table IV. The“C's” represent the digits associated with the check number entered instate 212. TABLE IV Doubly-Marked MICR Lines MICR Testing - Check NumberAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRCCC 462 AAAAAAAAAA58 Test failedRRRRRRRRR2

[0061] The process of FIG. 6 presents one preferred embodiment fortesting for coexistence between a candidate routing number, an accountnumber, a check number, and a MICR line. In an analogous embodiment, thecheck number may be searched for in the singly-marked MICR line, and theaccount number may be searched for in the doubly-marked MICR line.

[0062] In the process of FIG. 2, the set of candidate routing numbers isdetermined (in state 220) prior to, and independently of, the test forcoexistence between the routing number, the check number, and theaccount number (state 240). Determination of the candidate routingnumbers and marking with the account and check numbers can take place inany order. Two such alternative embodiments are illustrated in Tables Vand VI.

[0063] In the embodiment of Table V, the MICR line is marked with thecheck number and the account number before checksum testing is carriedout on the resulting doubly-marked MICR line. In the embodiment of TableVI, the MICR line is first marked with the check number, then checksumtesting is carried out, and finally coexistence with the account numberis verified. Other permutations of marking and checksum testing arepossible as well. TABLE V Action Result Load MICR line3141592653589793238462 Mark MICR line with Account No.AAAAAAAAAA589793238462 Mark marked MICR line with AAAAAAAAAA589793238CCCCheck No. Do 9-digit checksum test on doubly- 589793238 passes markedMICR line the checksum test

[0064] TABLE VI Action Result Load MICR line 3141592653589793238462 MarkMICR line with Check No. 3141592653589793238CCC Do 9-digit checksum onthe Two candidate Routing Nos. pass: singly-marked MICR line A: 314[159265358] 9793238CCC B: 3141592653 [589793238] CCC Search for AccountNo. Candidate A: Fails the search (=3141592653) in the doubly-314RRRRRRRRR9793238CCC marked MICR line Candidate B: Passes the search3141592653]RRRRRRRRRCCC

[0065] Referring back to the process of FIG. 2, after the test forcoexistence has been applied to each candidate routing number (states230-242), the program proceeds to state 245, where the program isredirected depending upon the results of the coexistence analysis. Ifthere are no candidate routing numbers that result in coexistingnumbers, the program is redirected to a second retry state 246.

[0066] As with the first retry state 226, discussed above, a decision ismade in the second retry state 246 whether or not the user should try toreenter one or more of the three numbers received in states 210, 212,and 214. In one embodiment, the decision whether or not to try againdepends upon whether the lack of candidate routing numbers in state 220came after a first attempt to enter information in states 210, 212, and214, or after a second or third attempt. FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 illustratesample web pages that guide a user through one preferred embodiment ofthe second retry state.

[0067]FIG. 7 illustrates a first null result web page 700 presented tothe user after the program was (eventually) redirected to state 246following a null search result for the account number within thesingly-marked MICR line (state 630). In one embodiment, the web page 700is generated only if the user has thus far only entered the accountnumber once before (in state 214). The first null result web page 700includes a prompt 710 requesting reentry of the account number on thebank check, together with a field 720 in which to enter the digitstring. The web page 700 further includes pictures and text 730 toassist the user in identifying the account number within the MICR line,and a Next button 740 that transmits the newly entered account numberand directs the user to a new web page.

[0068]FIG. 8 illustrates a second null result web page 800 presented tothe user after the program was (eventually) redirected to state 246following a null search result for the account number within thesingly-marked MICR line (state 630). In one embodiment, the web page 800is generated only if the user has made two attempts to enter the accountnumber: once in state 214, and again in response to the first nullresult web page 700. The second null result web page 800 includes aprompt 810 requesting reentry of the entire MICR line from the bankcheck, together with a field 820 in which to enter the digit string. Theweb page 800 further includes pictures and text 830 to assist the userin identifying the MICR line, and a Next button 840 that transmits thenewly entered MICR line and directs the user to a new web page.

[0069]FIG. 9 illustrates a third null result web page 900 presented tothe user after the program was (eventually) redirected to state 246following a null search result for the account number within thesingly-marked MICR line (state 630). In one embodiment, the web page 900is generated only if the user has made three attempts to enter theaccount number: once in state 214, again in response to the first nullresult web page 700, and yet again in response to the second null resultweb page 800. The third null result web page 900 includes a message 810informing the user of the problem, and presenting alternative means ofcontacting the host web site 140 to convey the needed information. Inone embodiment, the alternative means include sending an electronic mailmessage 920 and placing a person-to-person telephone call 930.

[0070] Referring back to the process of FIG. 2, if there is at least onecoexisting set of numbers satisfying the test in state 240, state 245redirects the program to state 255. In state 255, the program isredirected depending upon the number of candidate routing numberssatisfying the coexistence analysis of state 240. If there is more thanone such routing number, the user is prompted in state 258 to remove theambiguity.

[0071] In one embodiment, the prompt in state 258 consists of presentingthe user with a banking institution name for each candidate routingnumber, the bank name being determined from the routing numbers database182 for the associated routing number. The user may then select theappropriate banking institution from the list provided. Alternatively,the user may be prompted to enter the name of the bank, and the enteredinformation may then be compared to the multiple bank names to selectthe routing number.

[0072] In another embodiment, the prompt 258 consists of a messagerequesting that the user use alternative means to convey the neededinformation, similar to the messages 910, 920, 930 displayed in thethird null result web page 900.

[0073] If there is only one coexisting set of numbers satisfying thetest in state 240, state 245 directs the program to state 256. In state256, the sole surviving candidate routing number is stored, togetherwith the account number, in the user bank account database 184. The bankinformation is stored together with an identifier for the user, thusallowing the host web site to associate each user who has registered forAmazon.com Payments with his or her proper banking institution andproper checking account within that institution.

[0074] In one embodiment, the coexistence testing (in state 240) is notimplemented. Instead, the routing candidates from the checksum testing(in state 220) are treated in state 245 in the manner described abovefor the coexisting combinations.

[0075] As noted above, sellers who advertise and sell products viaonline auctions or online flea markets typically do not have apreexisting relationship with those who purchase their products. Assuch, a seller generally will not ship the purchased product until he orshe has received payment in full. The embodiments for extractinginformation from a check discussed above can greatly speed up thisprocess. Once the host web site 140 has stored the bank routing numberand bank account number for a particular seller in the user bank accountdatabase 184, that user immediately receives payment for any goods soldvia the host web site 140, without any need for the buyer and seller tocontact one another. Further, in the preferred embodiment, buyers thatuse the 1-Click service can purchase an item from the seller with asingle mouse click or other single action. The manner in which atransaction may be carried out using a seller's stored bank routingnumber and bank account number will now be provided with the help ofFIGS. 10, 11, and 12.

[0076]FIG. 10 illustrates a sample purchase page 1000 within thefixed-price sales section of the host web site 140. A product advertisedon the purchase page 1000 is associated with a third party seller,“BobJ,” who has previously registered to use the Amazon.com Paymentsservice. The purchase page 1000 advertises a book for sale by BobJ at afixed price. The page 1000 includes a title for the book 1010, apurchase price 1020, a seller-identifier 1030, a buyer-identifier 1035,a location-identifier 1040 for the seller, a quantity indicator 1050regarding the number of book copies available, and a description 1060 ofthe book. In one embodiment, one or both of the seller- andbuyer-identifiers is given by an electronic mail account identifier. Inanother embodiment, all identifiers are aliases.

[0077] The purchase page 1000 further includes a purchase button 1070that buyers may select to purchase the advertised book. A “1-ClickReady” message 1072 informs the buyer that the seller accepts Amazon.ComPayments. This informs the buyer that the seller will be compensatedimmediately for the transaction once it is finalized by the buyer, thusavoiding the delay that occurs when a seller waits for a check in themail. If the buyer has enabled the 1-Click service, the page mayoptionally include a button, link, or other control 1080 for buying theitem with a single action.

[0078]FIG. 11 illustrates a sample listing page 1100 within thefixed-price sales section of the host web site 140. The listing page1100 includes a list of products for sale by third party sellers. Eachproduct has an associated hypertext link to a product purchase page likethe one illustrated in FIG. 10. The listing page 1100 includes an1-Click Payment indicator 1110 for each product that informs prospectivebuyers whether the seller associated with the product is registered withAmazon.com Payments. As noted above, this informs the buyer that theseller will be compensated immediately for the transaction once it isfinalized. In one embodiment, the listing page 1100 also provides ahypertext link (not shown) that provides the buyer with a “filtered”listing page containing only those products that are 1-Click Paymentenabled.

[0079]FIG. 12 illustrates a sample order confirmation page 1200displayed when the buyer selects the purchase button 1070 on thepurchase page 1000. The display of the confirmation page 1200 mayoptionally be omitted if 1-Click purchasing is used. The confirmationpage 1200 repeats the book title 1210, the buyer-identifier 1220, andpurchase price 1230, and displays a shipping fee 1240 and a quantity ofbooks ordered 1250. The order confirmation page further includes aconfirmation button 1260 that buyers may select to confirm theirpurchase of the advertised book.

[0080] Upon selection of the confirmation button 1260, the buyer isprovided with another web page in which the buyer can enter a creditcard number, or select a previously-stored credit card number. Once thebuyer's credit card information has been received, the web site 140charges the buyer the full transaction cost and sends the appropriatepayment (purchase price less any transaction fees) to the bank accountof the seller. The seller's account receives credit for the paymentwithin five days. In one embodiment, the host web site 140 alsoimmediately sends the buyer's mailing address to the seller, forexample, by sending the transaction information (product description,purchase price, buyer's address) in an automated electronic mail messageto the seller's electronic mail account. In one embodiment, the mailingaddress communicated to the seller is taken from the buyer's 1-Clicksettings.

[0081] In another embodiment, upon winning an auction or buying afixed-price item, an email is sent to the buyer with a link to anAmazon.com Payments web page. If the buyer has enabled the 1-Clickservice, this page includes a button for paying immediately with thebuyer's 1-Click settings; otherwise, the user is prompted to specifypayment and shipping information.

[0082] Although this invention has been described in terms of certainpreferred embodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of this invention.Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to bedefined only by reference to the appended claims.

[0083] In the claims, which follow, reference characters used to denoteprocess acts are provided for convenience of description only, and notto imply a particular order for performing the acts.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of assisting thetransfer of funds between a buyer and a seller, comprising: (a)prompting the seller to enter information from the face of a checkcorresponding to a bank account of the seller; (b) determining at leasta routing number associated with the bank account of the seller usingthe information entered by the seller in response to (a); (c) charging acredit card of the buyer to collect funds for one or more itemspurchased by the buyer from the seller; and (d) depositing at least aportion of the funds into the bank account of the seller using therouting determined in (b).
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising,in response to successful completion of (b), displaying, in associationwith an item posted for sale by the seller, an indication that theseller is enabled to accept payment electronically.
 3. The method as inclaim 1, wherein the information on the face of the check includes aMICR line, a check number, and an account number.
 4. The method as inclaim 3, wherein the prompting includes a generalized image of a checkwith indicators of the locations of the MICR line, check number, andaccount number.
 5. The method as in claim 2, wherein displaying anindication comprises presenting the buyer an option to purchase the itemusing a default credit card number previously specified by the buyer. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the seller mailingaddress information previously specified by the buyer.
 7. The method asin claim 3, wherein determining a routing number includes identifying acontiguous string of characters within the MICR line that satisfy achecksum test.
 8. The method as in claim 7, wherein determining arouting number further includes performing a coexistence test within theMICR line on the check number, the account number, and the contiguousstring that satisfies the checksum test.
 9. The method as in claim 7,wherein determining a routing number further includes comparing thecontiguous string that satisfies the checksum test with a database ofknown bank routing numbers.